Re-entry plan frustrates residents

Seaside Heights allows brief return to homes

Nov. 8, 2012

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Written by

Kristi Funderburk

@kfunder

Toms River, NJ, 11/07/12 ----Seaside Heights Bourough Council Meeting held at the Ocean County Administration Building in Toms River. The Borough was unable to hold their meeting in town because of damage to Hurricane Irene. Robert Ward / Asbury Park Press, NJ / Robert Ward / Staff Photographer

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SEASIDE HEIGHTS — The next few days could bring some relief to borough residents who need it.

The residents haven’t been home since they evacuated more than a week ago, before Hurricane Sandy barreled through the barrier island. Starting Friday, they will be able to temporarily return.

“I think it’s a good start,” said Rich Giordano, who has had a house in Seaside Heights for 40 years.

Residents will be bused over the bridge to their homes, to a limited number of streets at a time, each day through Tuesday, according to the plan Mayor Bill Akers presented Wednesday evening.

About 150 residents with questions about the plan and other issues packed a Borough Council meeting Wednesday night in the Ocean County administration building in Toms River.

Sue Poane, 65, a resident of Grant Avenue for 33 years, said if this is the best the residents can get, she will take it just to get home again to collect her family’s belongings. But getting home for a few hours doesn’t make her feel better.

“It was my husband’s birth place,” she said. “He’s been there his whole life. It’s where our kids grew up. It’s where millions of people come every summer to make memories. I just want it to be back where it was.”

Many residents complained about a lack of answers, barred re-entry and the fact that they will only be able to remove two suitcases of their belongings when they return.

“I have bags of clothes to take out,” said Carla Pilla, 52. “I wasn’t expecting to be limited to two small suitcases.”

Akers said there will be boxes available for people to pack and remove from the island.

Akers took several questions shouted from the audience. Some people were thankful, some expressed frustration and duress, and some left unsatisfied.

The mayor couldn’t say when residents could go home permanently. Akers said he hopes to have a better answer next week.

The re-entry plan had to get approval from state police and the Department of Transportation. Because borough officials are restricted by the state, they cannot allow residents to bring in their own vehicles.

“A handbook didn’t come with the process,” Akers said.

Giordano is a builder and said he understands this is a process that takes time. “You can’t just go in there and fix things overnight,” he said. “But we need immediate answers to put things to rest because this is our life.”